Freiburg's final balancing act: full focus on the European dream?

It's like a final before the final. SC Freiburg face a tricky balancing act at the end of the Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30/Sky). Despite the Europa League final, will the South Baden outfit do everything in their power to secure seventh place and a place in the Conference League with a win against RB Leipzig? Or would Sport-Club rather save their strength for the biggest game in the club's history in Istanbul four days later?

The coach warns

If SC Freiburg fail to win either of their final two games of the season, they could face a year without a European Cup. And yet thoughts of the Istanbul highlight on 20 May are likely to be hard to suppress for the professionals in the game against RB.

"We would be wrong to have our heads elsewhere," warned coach Julian Schuster ahead of the demanding task against third-placed Leipzig. There is also something at stake in the Bundesliga.

If they finish seventh in the table at 5.30 pm on Saturday, Sport-Club will have successfully rounded off their Bundesliga season. But isn't the attraction of this potentially once-in-a-lifetime chance to crown themselves European Cup champions next Wednesday with a coup against Aston Villa much, much greater?

Ginter sets clear priority

For Matthias Ginter, the final match has clear priority. "It's also clear that the Euro League final is the focus," admitted the defender, at least after the defeat at Hamburger SV. It also plays a role that seventh place is not enough to qualify for the Europa League again, but only for the third-tier Conference League.

"We want to achieve what is possible," said striker Igor Matanovic in contrast. He wouldn't care which competition came out of it.

A Europa League triumph at the Besiktas Stadium would even be linked with the club's first ever participation in the Champions League. It would be a sporting and financial quantum leap that Aston Villa would like to prevent.

The advantage in the starting position

In the Bundesliga season finale, SC Freiburg, who are strong at home, are in a long-distance duel with Eintracht Frankfurt (against VfB Stuttgart) and FC Augsburg (at 1. FC Union Berlin). The Breisgau side are one point ahead of their rivals and therefore have it in their own hands. The Saxons have already achieved their goal for the season and will play in the Champions League next season. But the individual class clearly speaks for RB.

The end of the season is electrifying

Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that Sport-Club will slip out of the European Cup places in their penultimate appearance before the summer break. But then comes the final, sporting highlight. The final in Istanbul is electrifying SC Freiburg and its fans. "We just have to win the last game, then everything will be fine," said Ginter.